Percy Takes The Plunge
by Bryan Cerros
Summary: Henry is annoyed to hear Percy carrying on about how well he performed a rescue despite a flood. Percy wants to go past the forbidden area at the harbor, despite Thomas' warning against it, and ends up sinking into the water, and gets scolded by Sir Topham Hatt/The Fat Controller.


**First of all, this is my edit on the original Railway Series story. Some parts will have been edited or added to. I do not own Thomas The Tank Engine. Feel free to leave a review or any comments yiu have. Anyway, enjoy the story.** Sometimes Percy takes freight cars full of stones to the other end of the line. There, he meets engines from the other railway. One day, Henry wanted to rest in the shed, but Percy was talking to some tank engines.

"It was raining hard. Water swirled under my boiler, but I struggled on.""Ooooh Percy, you _are_ brave", said the other engines."Well", said Percy modestly,"It wasn't anything really. 'Water's nothing to an engine with determination'.""Tell us more, Percy", said the other engines.

"What are you enginea doing here?!" hissed Henry,"This shed is for Sir Topham Hatt's engines. Go away!". This made the other engines puff sadly away. "Silly things", Henry snorted. "They're not silly", exclaimed Percy. He had been enjoying himself. He was cross with Henry because he had sent them away. "They are silly, and so are you. 'Water's nothing to an engine with determination'. Pah!"

"Anyway", said cheeky Percy, "I'm not afraid of water, I like it." He ran away singing, "Once an engine attached to a train, was afraid of a few drops of rain"."Silly Percy", snorted Henry. Percy arrived home feeling pleased with himself. "Silly old Henry", he chuckled, "Afraid of the rain". When percy arrived, Thomas was looking at a sign at the end of the quay. It said 'Danger, engines must not pass this board'.

"We mustn't go past it", said Thomas. "That's Sir Topham Hatt's orders". "Why?" asked Percy. "'Danger' means falling down something. I went past 'Danger' once and fell down a mine". Percy looked beyond the sign. "I can't see a mine" he said. Percy didn't know that the foundations of the quay had sunk, and that the rails now sloped downward towards the sea.

"Silly old sign!" said Percy. For days and days, he tried to sneak past it, but his Driver stopped him every time. "No, you don't" he would say. Then, Percy made a plan. "Driver won't ever find out", hd said to himself. One day at the top station, he whispered to the troublesome freight cars. "Will you give me a bump wbe we get to the quay?" he asked. The freight cars _were_ surprised. They had never been asked to bump an engine before. They giggled and chattered about it the whole way down.

"Whoa Percy! Slow Down" said his Driver, and Percy slowed down obedientley at the distant signal. "Driver doesn't know my plan" he chuckled. "On! On! On!" laughed the freight cars. Percy thought they were helping. "I'll pretend to stop at the station, but the freight cars will push me past the sign, then I'll make them stoo. I can do that whenever I like", he said.

If Percy hadn't been so conceited, he woule never have been so silly. Every wise engine knows that you cannot trust freight cars, but Percy didn't know. Soon, they reached the station, and Percy's brakes groaned. That was the signal for the freight cars. "Go on! Go on!" they yelled and surged forward together. They gave Percy a fearful bump and knocked his Driver and Fireman off the footplate. "Ow!" said Percy, sliding past the sign. The day was misty, the rails were ippery, and his wheels wouldn't grip. Percy was frantic. "That's enough!" he hissed.

But it was too late. Once on the slope, he tobagganed helplessly down, crashed through the buffers, and slithered into the sea. Percy was sunk. "You're a very disobedient engine". Percy knew that voice. He groaned. The foreman borrowed a small boat and rowed Sir Topham Hatt around Percy. "Please sir, get me out sir, I'm truly sorry sir".

"No Percy, we cannot do that until high tide. I hope it will teach you to obey orderd" said Sir Topham Hatt. "Yes, sir" Percy shivered. He was cold. Fish were playing hide-and-seek through his wheels. The tide rose higher and higher. Percy was feeling his position more and more deeply every minute. It was nearky dark when they rought floating cranes, cleared away the freight cats, and lifted Percy out. He was too cold and stiff to move by himself, so he was sent to the works the next day on Henry's goods train.

"Well! Well! Well!" chuckled Henry, "Did you like the water?"."No", replied Percy. "I _am_ surprised. You need more determination, Percy. 'Water's nothing to an engine with determination' you know. Perhaps you will like it better next time". "I don't think so" replied Percy sadly. He was quite determined that there wouldn't be a "next time".


End file.
